Anaerobically curing Live Rock

[andrek787]

Ok, I have been researching ways to eliminate pests from live rock without killing the beneficial bacteria within the rock. I was thinking about putting live rock in 20 gallon containers filled with saltwater and allowing them to sit sealed for 2-3 weeks. In theory, the oxygen would become depleted killing the complex organism such as pests, while leaving the beneficial anaerobic bacteria alive. After a time, the containers would be opened and the rock would be cured\cycled as normal to remove organic residues and re-establish aerobic bacteria.

Has anyone done this before?

 

[PhaneSoul]

I did on accident. Caused more harm then good, went thru a cycle upon reintroduction to proper water even after rinsing all the dead bacteria off before putting it into proper water. Even a month later its causing high phos in my sps tank.

 

[andrek787]

How long did you have it sealed and how long did you cure it for afterwards before putting it in the tank?

 

[Dkuhlmann]

Why not just OD the rocks water with ammonia? It feeds the good bacteria but kills the pests. I'd do the ammonia up to at least 10 ppm if not 20 even. It's worth a shot..

 

[PhaneSoul]

Good idea dk. Andre the rocks were in a sealed 5g for about 2-3 weeks. They had been cooking for 2 months before that (i moved thats why they ended up sealed in a 5g bucket) took only a few days to cure afterwards but they were also put into a tank with already cured rock (the other half of the rock that was in a 5g bucket unsealed)

 

[seamonster124]

I bet some of the pests would survive this process. I would nuke and restart. Your bacteria will come back but none of the pests

 

[tmz]

At high levels ammonia will kill bacteria along with other organisms.

Hypoxia will too. Bacteria use oxygen especially those that oxidize ammonia.Denitrifiers would also run out of a sustainable level of oxygen whether free or from nitrate in sealed in an O2 free environment for very long.Absent oxygen or nitrate sulfate reducing badcteria will take over if there is organic matter in the water and will produce toxic hydrogen sufide gas.

 

[andrek787]

At high levels ammonia will kill bacteria along with other organisms.

Hypoxia will too. Bacteria use oxygen especially those that oxidize ammonia.Denitrifiers would also run out of a sustainable level of oxygen whether free or from nitrate in sealed in an O2 free environment for very long.Absent oxygen or nitrate sulfate reducing badcteria will take over if there is organic matter in the water and will produce toxic hydrogen sufide gas.

I understand about the anaerobic bacteria requiring a chemical source of oxygen. What about dosing nitrate sulfate in liquid form into the container.

I believe the aerobic bacteria populations can be re-established during post-anaerobic cycle.

 

[tmz]

The point is sealing up organic matter in stagnant water won't allow oxygen or nitrate and ultimately the stagnant water will become hypoxic( no oxygen and no nitrate) and a toxic mess, perhaps more so with sulfate additions.Likely to be high in ammonia too.

Why do you think "pests" will be harmed more by these conditions more than beneficial organisms like bacteria in the nitrogen cycle et alia.?

 

[andrek787]

From what I understand, the anaerobic bacteria that converts nitrate into nitrogen gas is the most critical part of live rock filtration. This bacteria usually lives in O2 limited conditions deep within rock or the bottom of DSB. Invertebrates such as aptaisa, cannot use NO2 as an oxygen source, so if the entire rock comes under O2 limited conditions only organism capable of utilizing NO2 as oxygen source will be able to survive.

 

[tmz]

That's not correct in a number of respects. But it's your rock ;so have it as your wish. Nitrifying bacteria are extremely important as one example. Most denitrifying bacteria are facultaative and live in the presence of oxgen as well as nitrtate is another. Heterotrophic bacteria also need oxygen.

 

[codyreed29]

Why not reduce the temperature. most pests will die off before anerobic bacteria.

Just don't go to low. I think about 55-60 degrees will kill most pests.

 

[CStrickland]

I think you guys are confusing the whole picture of a tank with the tiny environments that occur within it. If you could point a microscope at the glass of your tank you would see layers of bacteria basically pooping into each other's mouths. There would be denitrifiers with nitrifiers and cyano right on top of them making localized Dutch ovens of filtration. This is a difficult thing to tweak.
Like, my Polish grandma made really good yogurt by letting milk curdle on the counter with her starter. Yoplait doesn't taste the same because they only use the 3 strains of bacteria that are amenable to the conditions in their factory, which isn't a grandmas counter.

You are trying to be the yoplait factory, but these bacteria depend on each other, not the broader conditions of the tank as a whole. They don't care that the nitrates are Xppm overall, they just want their Dutch oven to be right. Like tmz said, you are cultivating the black nasty pockets in a deep sand bed, that's not the bacteria that helps your tank thrive. It will be very very hard to create a Dutch oven for the denitrifiers absent their partner nitrifiers. I bet there's an easier way to accomplish your goals that doesn't entail synthesizing farts.